Influence of dietary phosphorus on shell quality1

Abstract
Two experiments were conducted to study the effect of level of dietary phosphorus on shell quality. In the first experiment, a reduction in the total dietary phosphorus from 0.72 to 0.39 per cent had no effect on the shell quality of eggs laid by caged birds. In the second experiment, birds housed on litter showed an inverse relationship between shell quality and the level of dietary phosphorus. Calcium level of the diet did not influence the response to level of dietary phosphorus. Egg production was found to be improved in the birds fed the low phosphorus diets.